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For many, the New Year means new fitness goals, as swarms of people head to the gym to get in shape. But if a regular workout doesn’t sound exciting enough to motivate you to hit the weights, a New York City gym is offering something a little more unique: the opportunity to get fit in the nude.

For anyone wanting to get buff in the buff, Hanson Fitness, known for celebrity clients like Rihanna, Sandra Bullock and Tyra Banks, will be offering naked fitness sessions beginning January 5.

Exercising in the nude provides a number of benefits, “including skin breathing, the release of endorphins due to Vitamin D from sunlight and complete body awareness so you can see if you're cheating on your exercise routines,” according to a post on the gym’s Facebook page.

Classes will take place three times a week, with one for men, one for women and one coed. Private sessions, geared toward couples, will also be available.

“The class is designed to be a total body workout that uses your body weight as resistance to work the glute, butt, legs and core – making you look and feel good naked,” according to the press release.

The gym says that exercising in your birthday suit allows for benefits “including skin breathing, the release of endorphins due to Vitamin D from sunlight" and more.

If you’re not comfortable sporting your birthday suit but are still looking to reach your fitness goals, the gym notes everyone has the option to wear nude underwear if desired.

“As a forward-thinking fitness center, we like to make sure we offer our members the very latest in fitness developments. Our approach makes sure our members get and stay in the absolute best shape, and our new naked personal fitness sessions are no exception. This new development brings with it a range of fitness and health benefits and allows our members to have a little cheeky fun in the process!”

Hanson Fitness isn’t the first to offer nude exercise classes. Bold and Naked Yoga Studio in New York City offers both group and individual yoga sessions done in the nude.

At first glance, I like the concept of working out in the nude at a health club in a structured non-sexual environment.Exercise, sunshine and no nonsense allowed.And probably a good idea to monitor the parking lot with live attendants and escorted walks to one's car on demand.Background checks on enrollees?

I may live in a cultural backwater compared to NYC, but what on earth is "Nude Underwear"? Flesh-colored tights/yoga pants?Thongs?Form-hugging briefs?See-through?Emperor's New Clothes?

Would a clothing-optional event devolve into an event where nudity was allowed but no one actually went through with it?

Would "nude underwear" be interpreted as a code word for porn star costumes?

Benefits of sunlight, perhaps some of the timeNew York is above 40 degrees north latitude. That far north, there isn't enough sun to make vitamin D at some point beyond the autumn equinox, perhaps until the spring equinox.Even then, we may be talking about midday sun only, not late afternoon or morning except in summer.Sunlight does affect the melatonin-seratonin balance, so it is not entirely without benefit, but unless they have UV lamps, the claims about vitamin D in a New York winter are false.

Thanks for sharing Maverick. It’d be great to see this concept, along with naked yoga and other nude, or at least clothing- optional routines, become available across the nation, helping spread acceptance of social nudity.

Maverick wrote:From this I gather that it's underwear that is body-hugging and matched to skin tone. We dumb males learn something new every day, huh?!

Not sure how comfortable that would be to work out in. I wouldn't want to work out in, much less wear, the male equivalent (and yes, that exists, but I'm not linking to it ).

It is a fig-leaf figuratively speaking: Most of the look of nudity with none of the comfort. Only provides the illusion of not being naked to the wearer because it pinches and binds, but looks nearly naked to the observer.Dumb idea!

Again, clothing-optional doesn't work that well. The timid among us would not want to be the only nude person in a majority-clothed event.It would feel vaguely inappropriate.

Ramblinman wrote:Again, clothing-optional doesn't work that well. The timid among us would not want to be the only nude person in a majority-clothed event.It would feel vaguely inappropriate.

Not only inappropriate but uncomfortable. I remember being at a naturist "resort" a few years ago. I went to the movie night (indoors, G-rated) and I was the only naked person there. I watched the pre-show cartoons ( ) and left. No one got undressed. Another couple came in right before I left. They were nude, played some pool off to the side, and left, too - I think for the same reason I did: I waned to enjoy naked time watching a movie, meet a few new friends, relax, and enjoy myself, but I was totally uncomfortable. No sure why others didn't honor the naturist code.

Nude underwear is nothing new, my wife wears it all the time, along with every other color you can imagine. I think skin-tone was introduced shortly after black and red were determined to be acceptable. My personal knowledge of what women wear only goes back 60 years, but I can imagine it was old-school even then.

New_Adventurer wrote:Nude underwear is nothing new, my wife wears it all the time, along with every other color you can imagine. I think skin-tone was introduced shortly after black and red were determined to be acceptable. My personal knowledge of what women wear only goes back 60 years, but I can imagine it was old-school even then.

In community gardens in this area, on a summer day, sometimes a woman's t-shirt rides up as she bends over to pull weeds or some such, exposing a bit of backside and a bit of panty flash.I am sure the girls were not planning this, but it is the nature of garden work to bend over at times, giving us an education in the latest underwear fashion we had not expected.Yet, so far this elusive nude underwear garment has yet to appear in our local gardens.And once in a while, it's just a hint of bare bottom if she wants to keep things simple that day.I keep hoping that one of our gardens will have naturist day and we can hang all the sweat-trap garments on a peg and enjoy exercise in perfect comfort.As for the gym, they should really put their foot down and say "Sorry, no clothes at all!"

Ramblinman wrote:I keep hoping that one of our gardens will have naturist day and we can hang all the sweat-trap garments on a peg and enjoy exercise in perfect comfort.As for the gym, they should really put their foot down and say "Sorry, no clothes at all!"

Well, maybe you will get lucky and they will have a "Naturalist Day". You could show up nude and simply say, "Naturalist??? I thought it said Naturist!!!".

SON-cerely, Nathan PowersGet exposed to the sun, and get exposed to the Son.

natman wrote:Well, maybe you will get lucky and they will have a "Naturalist Day". You could show up nude and simply say, "Naturalist??? I thought it said Naturist!!!".

If ever two life pursuits were more compatible, naturalism and naturism surely seem to go hand-in-hand.

And Gymnasiums, by definition, are made for Gymnos (in Greek, translated as nudity).At our local gym, they offer paper towels and sanitizing spray and STRONGLY URGE the members to wipe off sweat and grime after they get up from the padded benches.So no one can argue that clothing keeps the benches sanitary. A thin towel wouldn't hurt, but really no justification for clothing...as long as the men and women don't leer at one another and at some clubs that goes on anyway, gym clothes notwithstanding.(hidden irony: gym clothes are an oxymoron) Clothes don't hinder rude staring. And making a gym "male only" or "female only" would only attract the wrong element with undiminished leering.